Take Out Some Insurance

Suggested soundtrack: the Jimmy Reed blues classic from 1959, "Take Out Some Insurance"

In this installment, you and partner are playing "1430" key card responses to a 4NT query. There are five key cards: the four aces and the king of trump. Responses show 1 or 4 key cards (5♣), 3 or 0 key cards (5♦), or 2 key cards without (5♥) or with (5♠) the queen of trump.

Partner deals and opens. The opponents Pass throughout the auction.
You hold
  ♠ 10 7 5 3 2   ♥ 4   ♦ A K Q J 7   ♣ J 4.

Partner	You
1 ♠	2 NT1
3 ♣2	4 NT
5 ♣3	?

game forcing raise singleton or void in clubs one or four key cards

You have far too much playing strength for a 3 ♠ limit raise. A splinter raise of 4 ♥ is a possible bid, but partner will never expect five-card support and a solid source of tricks in diamonds in addition to the heart shortness.

You decided on a game-forcing Jacoby 2NT raise, fully expecting partner to show shortness in diamonds, but instead she showed a singleton or void in clubs. At most one club loser, at most one heart loser, a ten-card trump suit... even if partner has just a minimum opener, a slam seems very possible.

Your 4 NT bid asked for key cards; partner's 5♣ response showed either one or four key cards. Well! With four key cards over there, making 7 ♠ would be simple; draw trump, cash the outside aces, ruff dummy's club loser, and ruff the fifth diamond if necessary.

So, your call?

ANSWER: Cool your jets. Bid 5 ♠ to play. Because, what if partner has only one key card? Partner has no diamond honors, and at most one club; is it even possible that partner could have an opening bid with only one key card? Yes, it is possible, and if so even 5 ♠ might be too high. But if partner really does have four key cards, she will bid on over your signoff.

THE PRINCIPLE: When partner shows two possible holdings in a key card auction (one or four, or zero or three) and you can't make a slam across from the minimum, sign off at the five-level. That way, you take out some cheap insurance against partner having the minimum holding. If partner has the maximum holding, she'll keep the auction going.

For example, if partner has
  ♠ A Q J 8 6 4 ♥ K Q 9 6 ♦ 10 6 ♣ 9
she will pass 5 ♠ in a heartbeat.

But if she instead has
  ♠ A K J 8 6 4 ♥ A 9 6 5 ♦ 10 6 ♣ A
partner will bid 6 ♠ to let you know she has four key cards, and you can take over from there.

If partner has the extra key cards and a side-suit king, she should cue-bid the king if it is possible to show it without going past six in our trump suit. For example, holding
   ♠ A K J 8 6 4 ♥ A K 6 5 ♦ 10 6 ♣ A
partner will bid 6 ♥ to show four key cards and the king of hearts.

-- Ray
Better Bridge in 5 Minutes. Guaranteed! (or the next one is free)